I Always Will
by Troublelover16
Summary: Trouble Kelp and Holly Short have always been the best of friends. But what happens when they want to be more than that? How do they even begin to tell each other how they feel? All it takes is a little courage, a kiss, and a promise... ending with a few simple words: "And I always will." -Extra to the Next Generation Series


_**Disclaimer: **__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

**Author's Chapter Notes:**

I'm back! Whoo hoo!

Well sort of... I wouldn't expect regular updates from me, because let's face it, being a college student is tough. But I will be writing more and I'll be working on finishing my other stories and of course this one.

Now... Let's get to the story shall we? :) ~Trubslover~

**Chapter 1: Always More Than Friends**

Commander Trouble Kelp sighed as he collapsed on his couch. It had been a particularly stressful day at Police Plaza: first Holly was late to work (nothing new there) and then around lunchtime, Grub tripped over a power cord causing all of the computers on the 3rd floor to simultaneously shut down, causing over two hours of setbacks to reboot the computers and for the officers on duty to redo the mornings work that had been lost.

Of course it wasn't long before a troll decided to smash its way into Spud's Spud Emporium, setting off a mass panic. Captain Short went to settle the mess, but unfortunately she had not completed the ritual in over two months (again not surprising). Long story short, the troll gave her a serious beating. Though healed now, the warlocks thought that since she had suffered a concussion, three fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and a broken arm, that she should stay in the hospital overnight and have the rest of the week off to "recover". They said it was a miracle they had gotten to her when they did, Trouble had to agree with that, and it was only because of regulations that they had to enforce Captain Short's bed rest. All for her own safety.

Well, with that mess over with, it was finally time to clock out and go home. He had made a quick stop by Haven Regional Hospital to check on Holly, she was fine, just peeved that she had to stay overnight and couldn't leave until the next morning, and only then if Trouble himself escorted her home. Trouble wasn't too thrilled about it either but it was the doctor's orders. And the sooner Holly was able to come back to work the better, because Frond knew that it was going to be hell tomorrow.

But for now he was just glad to be home and sitting down comfortably for the first time in 4 hours.

* * *

Trouble awoke with a start when his communicator started ringing obnoxiously. He looked at the time and frowned. He hadn't even been home an hour yet. Apparently he had just dozed off for a moment there. What in the world was so important that he needed to be informed of it as soon as he got home?!

"Hello?" Trouble answered the call with a slight growl.

The fairy on the other end was nervous and it showed by the way his voice shook as he spoke. "Commander Kelp? This is Dr. Thorn at Haven Regional. We need your help."

* * *

"So what exactly do you need me to do?" Trouble stood with Dr. Thorn outside Holly's hospital room. The elf was impatient and irritated for being woken up. As it was he had been awake for almost 24 hours straight. He was practically running off of caffeine.

Dr. Thorn sensed his irritation and nervously fidgeted. The Commander could be quite intimidating, especially when annoyed.

"Well, you see, Captain Short is being, umm… somewhat uncooperative."

Trouble smirked. That wasn't at all surprising. "And?"

"Her arm didn't heal properly and I'm afraid that we're going to have to break it again so we can make sure it heals correctly. However she has realized this and will not let anyone near her."

Trouble nodded. "So you want me to go in there and reason with her."

Dr. Thorn smiled. "Precisely."

Sighing, Trouble opened the door to Holly's room. "Here goes nothing then. Wish me luck."

He entered the room cautiously, closing the door silently behind him.

"Captain Short? Holly? It's me. Talk to me."

"So they sent you to reason with me, huh?" Who says I'm going to listen to you?"

Holly was seated on the bed facing away from the door. Her arms were crossed and there was more than just a hint of stubbornness in her voice. Same old Holly.

Trouble walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off with an annoyed 'hmmph'.

"Holly, come on. Just let them fix it. Honestly it can't be that bad. Let me see your arm."

Holly turned around and scowled at him. "It's fine. I don't see why they're making such a fuss about it. I just want to go home."

Trouble was persistent. "I know that Captain and the sooner you let them fix it, the sooner you can go."

She didn't respond, so he walked around and sat beside her on the bed. "Holly please... Let me see your arm."

Holly practically growled and leaned away from him. "No. You're just going to trick me."

"No I won't. Commander's honor." He gave her a quick salute and flashed her a grin.

Holly snorted. "Right."

Trouble kept a straight face. His violet eyes showed not one bit of a mischievous spark. "I'm serious Captain. When have I ever lied to you?"

All was silent for several moments. Trouble nearly laughed out loud. He knew he had her.

Sure enough, Holy slowly held out her left arm. Trouble took it carefully and examined it.

At a first glance it looked perfectly okay. But if you looked closely you could see that something about her arm wasn't quite right. Her elbow was slightly out of place, giving her arm an unnatural bend.

"Holly. Please let them fix it. It won't take them but a minute."

Holly still didn't speak. Still determined, Trouble gently took her hand in his. Surprised, Holly looked up at him. He smiled, eyes sparkling.

"I'll stay with you if you want me to."

Holly was still looking at him, stunned. He laughed. "What?"

She shook her head, looking away. "Nothing. It's nothing." Trouble noticed that she said this in a hurry. He made a mental note to ask her about it later. Sighing, Holly spoke again. "I suppose I'll let them fix it…" She looked up at him and smiled slightly. "…and you can stay with me." Holly winked. "If you want."

Trouble's eyes shone with an impish spark this time. "Okay then. I will."

There was a long moment of silence, and the two elves sat there, still holding hands, neither looking at the other. Finally Trouble spoke, glancing over at Holly. "Holls?" He asked, using his nickname for her. He hadn't used it in a while and was slightly hesitant in doing so.

Holly turned her head towards him. There was something in his voice that made her curious… almost concerned. "Yes, Trubs?" She asked with a smile. But that was as far as she got, before he did something that completely surprised her… yet oddly enough… she liked it.

When Holly turned her head towards him, Trouble had leaned forward slightly, smiling at her use of his nickname. She had to be the only person he didn't mind calling him that. He carefully placed a hand on her chin, lifting it slightly, and ever so gently, he pressed his lips to hers. He wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, hoping that she wouldn't smack him for being so sudden with his actions.

She didn't. Holly simply leaned into the kiss, returning it once she had gotten over her shock. Her thoughts were running wild though, despite how calm she was reacting. This was Trouble… her best friend. Her commanding officer. It didn't make sense to her… but when did things like this ever make sense? While it was true they'd been on a few dates, but those were years ago, and all three had ended disastrously. Holly had assumed that everything romantic between them had ended when he was dating Lili. But once the two broke up, and Trouble began spending more time with her, she began to re-think it, struggling to keep her own feelings hidden, just in case. Holly couldn't be sure if he still liked her, since they were simply doing activities that friends would do, and she didn't want to mess it up by admitting how she felt.

The truth was… Trouble had never stopped caring about Holly. He'd liked her from the moment he met her and the feeling only became stronger as the years went by. Trouble never could bring himself to tell Holly this… he never could find the right words. Even when he had originally asked her out, he never was able to tell her how he truly felt. Maybe that was why their dates failed… he was never completely honest about his feelings. But none of it mattered now, just by simply kissing her, Trouble had, in a way, told Holly exactly how he felt about her.

Trouble continued kissing Holly for several moments before pulling away. He sat there for a moment, holding her and staring into her mix-matched eyes. Slowly, he smiled, violet eyes shining happily.

"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that." He chuckled, taking her hand in his again.

Holly smiled at him, laughing at his comment. "If my guess is correct, then I'd imagine you've wanted to do that for quite a while. Am I correct?"

Trouble nodded, a wide grin appearing on his face. "Yeah… You are."

She smiled back at him. "Well, I'm glad you finally did it. I was beginning to think you only saw me as just a friend."

"And that's where you're wrong." Trouble ran a hand through her short hair. "You've always been more than 'just a friend' Holls. Trust me… you're much more than just a friend."

Holly raised an eyebrow. "Oh really Trubs? Then how come it's taken this long for you to kiss me?" She teased, poking him in the stomach.

He laughed, face turning red. "I… I wasn't sure if you…. I didn't think you wanted me to."

Holly smirked, rolling her eyes. "Of course you didn't. I was too busy hiding my feelings because I didn't think you cared."

Trouble smiled, lightly kissing her forehead. "Well, now you know that I do care. And I always will." He paused, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. He was contemplating his next words. Not wanting to mess up. Not again. He smiled as he found the right words. "So, why don't we call the doctor back, let him fix your arm, and then I'll take you back to my place and we can have dinner? What do you say?"

"Is this your way of asking me out on a date?"

"Yes. You could say that."

Holly grinned, playfully ruffling his hair. Did she want to leave this awful place? Yes. Did she like Trouble as more than a friend? Yes. Did she want to go to his place for dinner? She pretended to think about it.

"Then yes. I'd love that."

**Chapter End Notes:**

So guys? What do you think? Review please!

p.s. I haven't written anything in such a long time... hope this is good. :P ~Trubs~


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